Attention Business Editors:

IN THE MATTER OF Alan Ferguson Hackett - Discipline

    VANCOUVER, Aug. 20 /CNW/ - Notice is hereby given that a hearing will be
held before a Hearing Panel of the Investment Dealers Association of Canada
(IDA), on September 17, 2008, at Reportex Agencies Ltd., located at 925 West
Georgia Street, Suite 1010, Vancouver, BC, at 10:00 a.m. or as soon thereafter
as possible, to hear evidence and submissions in the matter of Alan Ferguson
Hackett (the "Respondent").
    The hearing concerns matters for which the Respondent may be disciplined
as a Registrant of the IDA, pursuant to Part 10 of IDA By-Law 2.

    <<
    The hearing concerns allegations that:

    (a) Between March 2001 and March 2007, the Respondent, at all material
        times a Registered Representative with Canaccord Capital Corporation
        ("Canaccord"), a Member firm, arranged to borrow monies, totaling
        more than $1,500,000 from eleven parties, including three Canaccord
        clients and two Canaccord registrants. He then disbursed the majority
        of these monies to one or more third parties on the understanding
        that he would receive the disbursed money plus additional monies from
        another party or parties at a later date. Having acted in this
        manner, without any reasonable understanding or explanation for the
        disbursement of monies or for the expectation of receiving monies
        from another party(s), the Respondent acted contrary to Association
        By-law 29.1;  and

    (b) Between November 2002 and March 2007, the Respondent, at all material
        times a Registered Representative at Canaccord, a Member firm, acted
        contrary to Association By-law 29.1 in that he engaged in personal
        financial dealings with three Canaccord clients by borrowing monies
        from these clients without the knowledge or prior consent of
        Canaccord.
    >>

    The IDA formally initiated the investigation into the Respondent's
conduct on May 8, 2007. The violations occurred when the Respondent was a
Registered Representative with the 609 Granville Street Branch of Canaccord
Capital Corporation. The Respondent is no longer a registrant with an IIROC
regulated firm.
    The Notice of Hearing is available at
http://www.iiroc.ca/English/Pages/home.aspx. The hearing is open to the
public, unless the Hearing Panel orders otherwise. The Hearing Panel's
decision and reasons will be made available to the public.

    IIROC is the national self-regulatory organization which oversees all
investment dealers and trading activity on debt and equity marketplaces in
Canada. Created in 2008 through the consolidation of the Investment Dealers
Association of Canada and Market Regulation Services Inc., IIROC sets high
quality regulatory and investment industry standards, protects investors and
strengthens market integrity while maintaining efficient and competitive
capital markets. IIROC carries out its regulatory responsibilities through
setting and enforcing rules regarding the proficiency, business and financial
conduct of dealer firms and their registered employees and through setting and
enforcing market integrity rules regarding trading activity on Canadian equity
marketplaces.

For further information: Warren Funt, Vice-President, Western Canada,
(604) 331-4750 or wfunt@iiroc.ca; Jeff Kehoe, Director, Enforcement
Litigation, (416) 943-6996, jkehoe@iiroc.ca